General Hong Beom-do's Remains Repatriation Planned for Second Half of the Year

[Asia Economy Reporter Yang Nak-gyu] The repatriation project for General Hong Beom-do's (1868-1943) remains is set to be promoted in the second half of this year. The government had planned to repatriate General Hong Beom-do's remains, which are interred in Kazakhstan, in the first half of this year, but the plan was postponed due to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

On the 2nd, a government official stated, "We are currently negotiating through diplomatic channels to bring General Hong Beom-do's remains, buried in Kazakhstan, back to the country as early as August, or at the latest within the second half of the year."

The repatriation of General Hong's remains was actively promoted after President Moon Jae-in announced in his March 1st Independence Movement Day speech this year, "To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Bongodong, we will repatriate and inter the remains in the homeland along with the visit of the President of Kazakhstan."

Once General Hong's remains are repatriated, the National Cemetery in Daejeon is being considered as the burial site instead of Seoul National Cemetery, which lacks space to create a burial ground. In September last year, Deputy Minister of National Defense Park Jae-min requested cooperation from Major General Shypekbayev, First Deputy Chief of the General Staff of Kazakhstan, during a bilateral meeting at the Seoul Security Dialogue, asking the Kazakhstan government to actively support the repatriation of General Hong's remains. In response, Major General Shypekbayev promised cooperation for the smooth repatriation of General Hong's remains.

The government will hold a commemorative ceremony for the 100th anniversary of the victory in the Battle of Bongodong, where General Hong Beom-do played a key role, at 10 a.m. on the 7th at the War Memorial in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. The ceremony will be broadcast live on Defense TV and KTV. The Battle of Bongodong, which took place in June 1920, is regarded as a monumental battle in the history of the independence movement, where Hong Beom-do and Choi Jin-dong killed 157 Japanese soldiers and wounded over 300. Along with the Battle of Cheongsanri and the Battle of Daejeonjaeryeong, it is considered one of the three major victories of the independence army.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.